Minister discusses changes to regional service with Air Canada Regional

In a teleconference meeting held yesterday between various stakeholders and Paul Lannon of Air Canada Regional, Sandra Kelly, MHA Gander district, discussed changes to Air Canada Regional's service in the province.

"I felt is was very important to participate in this meeting," said Minister Kelly. "The aviation industry is vital to the economy of Gander and I wanted to be sure that Air Canada Regional could adequately address the concerns I had about the recent announcement."

Air Canada Regional announced changes on Tuesday, October 9 that would see the elimination of the Deer Lake to Gander flight and reduced service to Goose Bay. The announcement would also see the continuation of service to many areas but on smaller aircraft with increased frequency. The number of Beech 1900 flights from Gander to St. John's will increase from five to six flights daily and a new daily Dash 8 service from Gander via Stephenville and onto Halifax will be added.

"During the meeting, I made it clear that, although I am pleased that Air Canada Regional will maintain service to the area, I am concerned that these smaller aircraft will be unable to provide adequate service to the region during peak times," said Minister Kelly. " As well, the issue of access for people with disabilities remains unresolved. I also expressed my concern about how Air Canada Regional will deal with cargo capacity problems especially for companies like Bonding and Composites and for the central Newfoundland outfitting industry."

The minister continued on to say: "Air Canada Regional did attempt to allay many of my fears. During the meeting, Mr. Lannon informed us that extra flights will be put in place one week prior to Christmas and for one week after the Christmas holiday period. He also informed us that the only employee impact would be the layoff of one part-time person. He indicated that Air Canada Regional hopes to return to normal by the spring summer schedule and that they are willing to work with members of the community toward viable solutions. Although I am heartened by the reply, I must reiterate that I am very concerned about this current situation and I will continue to monitor it very closely over the coming months."

Media contact: Janice Lockyer, Communications, (709) 729-6573.

2001 10 12                               2:00 p.m.